Hollow Hearts (The Harkwright Trilogy)

I mumble my “thank you,” before taking a seat on the white leather sofa, that I hadn’t even noticed at first because it just blends into the room. I don’t dare sink back into the sofa, instead I perch on the edge and wait to be summoned.

It’s really hard not to fidget on the spot, I swear I can hear my pulse thumping in my skull. I’m trying to not stare into the glass walled room, that could be a big no, no and I don’t want her to have any other reasons to dislike me.

There’s a crystal clock ticking on the wall opposite me and there’s still fifteen minutes to go. Surely she won’t make me wait, she can’t be that narcissistic. Her office is empty aside from her, this is ridiculous.

“Miss Carter, she will see you now,” she still doesn’t lift her head to look at me and I really have been made to wait until my appointment time. For crying out loud, why am I still here?

Another mumbled “thank you,” passes my lips and I know I can hear her scoff at my manners. Entitled bitch.

I walk into the office and the plush carpet sinks beneath my heels, there is a chrome desk with a wall lined with bookshelves but nothing personal. No pictures or any sign that she is even remotely human.

I walk over to the desk and stand behind the chair waiting for me to take a seat, I am not falling for that one. I know it’s bad manners to sit without being invited to first, I?

?ll stand here for as long as it takes.

“Miss Carter, I see you heeded my advice and arrived early. Which proves you can at least follow simple instructions, did you complete the essay I assigned you?” Still no invite to sit, fine I just need to make sure I don’t start fidgeting under her scrutiny.

“Yes Ms. Vanderbilt,” I reply, handing it over and you have got to be kidding me! Is she really going to sit there and read it in front of me? This woman is downright awful, I hate her and I don’t use that word easily.

Her face isn’t changing at all as she reads my words, I think she’s even rereading certain sections but I have no idea why. She lays it down after a few minutes and brushes it out against the desk before placing her gaze on me.

“Okay Miss Carter, you may sit.”

I fold myself into the chair, trying to make sure I don’t slouch. I really do not know how to act right now, I haven’t exactly had an interview before so I have nothing to draw from.

“As I said on the phone, I do not believe you are Harkwright Academy material, that being said I do need to give you the benefit of the doubt and go through the standard protocol. Now your sister has Catatonia, is this something we need to be concerned about where you are concerned?”

“No Ms. Vanderbilt, my sister used to be like everyone else. She was the life and soul of the party and then one day something happened and she withdrew into herself, we have yet to uncover the reason behind it but it isn’t something you need to worry about where I am concerned. Besides, even if it was an inherited trait it wouldn’t affect me,” I say as my eyes fall to an ink stain in the wood of her desk and she looks over my application once more.

“We’ll see, so on your application form you marked that you were a virgin and that you have only had one boyfriend which never went past the light kissing stage. Do you stand by this answer?” Her eyes are the kind that I would dare anyone to lie to, she’s like a human lie detector.

“Of course, it’s the truth,” I say simply and yet again, her facial features do not change in the slightest.

“You will be required to see the doctor after this appointment, she will ensure that your hymen is still intact and then you will sit down with a lie detector whilst we ask you a few basic questions. Refuse either of these tests and you will be escorted from the premises and your application will not go any further,” her eyes stay on mine a little longer than necessary, does she want me to walk away?

“The doctor one sounds terrifying, but I am willing to sit any and all tests you deem necessary.”

“Before we go any further, I am going to explain a few things to you. You are too innocent for this place, I can tell by looking at you that you have led a rather sheltered lifestyle and there is no way you could survive a place like the academy and come out the same way that you went in. A hundred girls will be selected, half of those will be pure and untouched and the other half may not be. If selected you will be in the untouched category but it will not stay that way for you.” She folds her hands together and leans forward ever so slightly, I want to move away but I can’t. “One hundred and fifty made it to this stage and we have already rejected forty-nine of them. The last place will either go to her or you,” she purses her lips and gives me once over, and I feel somewhat lacking. “Now, it is at this point usually, that we will go through the rest of your form but I don’t see the point in it, however I do have to tell you all that the Academy entails. This is your last chance before you lose the option to even discuss this part of the process.”

“I’m not just going to walk away Ms. Vanderbilt, if I’m not selected that’s fine, but I’d rather be rejected than run away in fear,” my voice isn’t even shaking and that’s astounding me right now.

“Have it your way, this here is an NDA, it stands for Non-Disclosure Agreement. Read through it carefully and sign if you agree to the terms.” She slides something across the desk to me and I pick it up with shaking hands. No doubt she has seen it. “I should inform you that this is watertight and not a loophole to be found. If you were found to break it, then you will have the full force of Harkwright and all that he has upon you. Do not break it,” her words are fierce and putting the fear of God into me. Guess I better get reading.

She's right, everything is covered in this one document. I am not allowed to discuss anything that has happened or will happen within this office building to anyone who is not a member of the Harkwright corporation family. I’m scared to think what will happen if I open my mouth, but I’ve come this far. What's one more signature?

I slide the signed document back over to the terrifying woman and she gives me a once over before slipping it inside a file with my name stamped atop it.

“As I said previously, your virgin status will be a thing of the past if you enter these walls. There are a lot of benefits to joining the academy and usually we highlight those before getting down to the nitty gritty but I’m going to do things a little differently with you.” I really don’t understand what her problem is, why is she trying to scare me away?

“Why break protocol for me?” I really need to speak up, I’m showing my fear and that can’t be good in a place like this.

“You waited until the last minute to ring for this appointment, for whatever excuses you chose to make. That wasn’t proper and I don’t see why I should extend the courtesy to you. You won’t make it Miss Carter, you don’t have the right stuff to come out on the other side. You already have a sister in the hospital. Are you sure you want to put your mother through whatever you will become should you be allowed in?”

Her words must be designed to cut me, because they feel sharper than any knife. The thing is, I’m doing this for my family and there’s isn’t anything I wouldn’t do or a single thing I wouldn’t give up for them.

“I’m ready to know,” I fold my hands in my lap and look her straight on. I hate maintaining eye contact at the best of times so this is plain torture, but she needs to know I’m not a frightened little bunny.

“Fine, have it your way. There will be fifteen young men in attendance and for all purposes they will be your bosses and there isn’t a single thing you can refuse them. Their word is law and they could end you if you displease them, for the duration of your three-year stay, you and the rest of the girls are basically high end hookers who are paid in education. Yes you’ll get money but that will only come to fruition once you graduate.” She’s staring at me and all I can do is nod my head for her to continue.